


Instinct

by Obsessedminddumpster



Category: The Tick - Fandom, TheTick
Genre: Gay, M/M, gay superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 15:14:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15003629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessedminddumpster/pseuds/Obsessedminddumpster
Summary: The Tick starts to get clingy and affectionate as he battles with some new-found emotions for his small sidekick. Arthur doesn't get what's going on, until Tick has to say it straight to his face.Instinct focuses on the two heroes themselves. The realisation of their love comes early, and continues with their slow progress to make it serious.Warning! Lots of fluff, cuddles, affection, and overall adorableness. It's also pretty short. Sorry! I lost inspiration. If you like my writing, check out my other stories. Thank you!





	1. Ticks Cling, And It's Hard To Get Them Off

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Look! Another fanfiction, finally!  
> Ugh, sorry it took so long. I just lost  
> Inspiration. It's hard to stay focused on something when you have depression.  
> But, anyways, enjoy it!

“Tick…” Arthur's tired voice was nothing but a quiet whimper as the bed creaked and his best friend, The Tick, settled down into it.

“Yes, Chum?” The super inquired, his antennae twisting. 

The accountant turned slightly to look at him. He mumbled something tiredly, pulling the blanket over himself. Tick got comfortable, as he always did. 

Arthur didn't really like sharing a bed with Tick. He was huge, hard, metallic, and he snored. (And Arthur was pretty sure that each time he laid down, his bed died a little more.)

“Please, can you sleep on the couch?” Arthur whispered, turning to his super friend. The hero smiled a little and snuggled into the bed. 

“But I like your bed. The couch is uncomfortable, and springy.”

Arthur sighed loudly, trailing it off with a little, ‘Nnnnnnnnnggggg’.

Tick laughed and moved closer. Arthur could feel the tips of his antennae brushing against his cheek. 

It was no use now. Tick, as 'human’ as he was, also had the 'I am not going to budge’ thing that actual ticks had. It was sort of annoying, but it was something Arthur would have to live with. 

He rolled onto his side. Just like a few other nights, Tick moved a little closer and curled up against his back. 

Arthur would have cared if it was anyone else, but Tick was a big cuddly bear, and his entire existence practically ran on affection and kindness. So Arthur knew not to care.

After awhile, Tick wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist and inched a little closer. This was the closest he had gotten to Arthur while they were in bed. He glanced back to his friend, then sighed. 

“Tick,” he whined. His whining tone made Tick worry if he did something wrong. Arthur sighed and continued. “Tick, you know you're not allowed to cuddle me...” he tried to move away. No luck. Tick had him in an embrace. The only way Arthur would be able to get out was if Tick let him go, or if he turned into liquid in Tick's arms and evaporated.

“You looked cold.” Tick said, shrugging casually, as if it was pretty normal that two male friends just slept in the same bed occasionally, and were now cuddling.

“I'm not cold, Tick…” Arthur whispered, pulling his duvet up. “I'm fine.”

Tick's antennae tapped Arthur's head. He hummed and moved a little closer, holding Arthur, who was wiggling a bit, trying to get loose.

After these failed attempts, Arthur laid there motionlessly, staring up at Tick, who looked content.

Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes.  'Whatever,’ He thought. He laid there and let Tick do whatever he wanted, while he went back to sleep.

He was jolted awake hours later, when he felt something pushing into his side. It felt weird for a moment, but then he realised it was Tick's hand. 

“Arthurrrr,” Tick cooed, prodding the sidekick. “Arthurrrr. My little balloon of hoooope?”

Arthur reached up, rubbing his eyes. “God, Tick, not tonight…” He mumbled. 

The gentle giant whined, moving closer. “Arrrthur.” He said.

Arthur rolled his head to the side. “Not tonight, Tick… I need to sleep.”

“But we need to protect the defenseless, Arthur.”

“But I need to protect my sleeping schedule, Tick.”

The hero whined again, gently pressing his hand against Arthur's side. 

Finally, annoyed, Arthur looked up. He turned around to face Tick, who wore a gentle smile, his eyes seeming to sparkle. 

“Tick,” Arthur whispered. “I'm not going out tonight.”

“Why not?” Tick asked, pulling his hand away from Arthur and setting it on the bed instead. His expression fell to a more confused one.

“Because I really need some sleep… okay?”

That made Tick whine again. Arthur could barely stand to hear him so disappointed. 

“I'll go tomorrow…” Arthur whispered. He loved having The Tick around. He was the best, most loyal friend that Arthur ever had-- but he was pretty intrusive on Arthur's life, because he didn't understand it as much as Arthur wished he would. Arthur couldn't patrol every night. 

Give Tick four hours of sleep and a pitcher of coffee, and he'll be as active and energetic as ever. 

Give Arthur four hours to sleep and a pitcher of coffee, and he'll still be as unmotivated and depressed as ever. 

Arthur needed his sleep. 

The hero nodded sadly and gave Arthur a pat on the chest. “Okay, Arthur.” He whispered. 

Arthur gave him an uneasy smile and closed his eyes. Tick got up, finally. It had been pretty difficult to get the blue giant to get off the bed. 

Arthur listened to the heavy footsteps of his friend as he walked out of the bedroom.


	2. Arthur's On The Mind

Tick put his hands on his hips and looked out into the city heroically. He knew it was really early, but that was when the crime happened often. Really early in the morning.

He inhaled, letting it out slowly. He wished Arthur was here. He knew Arthur loved being at the edge of buildings, standing with Tick by his side. 

He didn't understand why someone would rather sleep, than be out, putting a stop to crime!

Although he thought that way, he really respected Arthur's opinion. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted to please Arthur as much as possible. Whenever Arthur looked happy, Tick felt giddy and excited. He didn't understand what that feeling was, it wasn't just happiness. It was something much deeper. Something that felt like it had an important, emotional feeling. 

He sat down on the building, hanging his legs over the edge. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he didn't have a clue what this was. 

A part of him was thinking, 'Tick, maybe you felt this before with someone else, but you don't remember. You must know what this is.’

And another part was thinking, 'Tick, you should tell Arthur. He'll know what it is. Arthur is brilliant.’

Tick looked down, watching the streets. He didn't know what to do. All he knew is that it felt really good to be beside Arthur… it made Tick feel like he was getting something done in his life. 

He wished Arthur was there now. Standing by Arthur, laying next to Arthur-- earlier, when they were cuddling… it just felt really nice. 

He suddenly felt really unhappy, and that was because Arthur was at home, and Tick wasn't by him. 

Tick stood up. He turned and went back home. He needed Arthur. He just needed to be next to Arthur.


	3. Mornings With Tick

He got home. It was still early. Arthur was laying in bed, and Tick couldn't stop thinking about him. He walked into the bedroom, staring down at his friend.

He anxiously walked to the side of the bed, staring at Arthur. He didn't get why he felt so nervous. He felt like someone was squeezing his heart. 

Gingerly, he set his hand on the bed in front of his friend. He slowly slipped into the bed, pulling the blanket over himself. He curled up and put his forehead against Arthur's chest. 

Arthur whispered something, his eyes opening a few minutes later. The first thing he saw when he woke up was Tick's antennae tapping his face. 

He shifted away and sat up a little. “Tick…?” He whispered. 

Tick looked up, smiling immediately. “Oh, Arthur!” He said, getting a sudden burst of excitement. Arthur blinked tiredly and laid back down. Tick moved up, wrapping his arms around Arthur. “It's alright, Arthur. Go to sleep,” he whispered, smiling. He moved a little closer, so he was resting his cheek on the top of Arthur's head. 

The sidekick was too tired to do anything but lay there and take it. He was able to fall asleep a few minutes later. 

Tick set his hand in Arthur's hair. He blushed, holding Arthur tightly. He didn't know why he felt like this… why did he feel like this? He felt so… like he was just floating in mid-air. He pulled Arthur close, his strong arms wrapped tightly around the accountant’s back. 

Tick laid there with his best friend, until he, himself, slowly slipped into a happy sleep.

He woke up hours later to the same sort of prodding that he had put Arthur through a few hours ago. 

“Tick,” the small man whispered, his hand against Tick's side. “Tiiiick.”

Tick mumbled something and playfully swatted at Arthur's hand. Arthur poked his side again, although he wasn't sure if Tick could even feel it on his suit. Tick could, he could feel almost everything a normal person could.

“Wake up, you're taking up the bed.” Arthur said, whining. 

“The bed is taking up the area where I decided to sleep, Arthur.” Tick whispered. 

Arthur rolled his eyes and got out of bed to get his regular routine done. 

Tick listened to the silent flat. Arthur was so tiny, he barely made a noise when he walked. Tick wasn't sure where his friend was until he heard the shower running. 

Tick sat up and looked around. He grabbed the medication on the nightstand and got up. “Arthur! You forgot your happy pills.” He wandered to the bathroom door, cracking it open. “Arthur! You forgot your medicine.”

He heard Arthur squeak and almost slip. He laughed softly and put the bottles on the counter by the sink. He always forgot Arthur's routine. He wasn't sure if he took his medicine immediately, or if he went to the shower, or if he took his medicine afterwards. 

“Tick!” Arthur pulled a slight bit of the curtain back to look over to Tick, who was smiling. 

“Yes, Chum?” He asked. 

“Get out of the bathroom.”

Tick's antennae drooped a little. “Aw, okay.” He glanced over to the sink counter again to make sure he had set the medicine down, and that Arthur's glasses were there. Then, he walked out, closing the door gently. 

He hummed and put his hands on his hips, looking around. He didn't know what to do. He was pretty bored without Arthur.

He wandered into the kitchen, looking around. He opened the fridge and took out a carton of eggs. He faintly remembered watching Arthur make an omelette once. He should make breakfast for Arthur…. Oh, how impressed and happy he would be!

Tick tried to open the egg, but ended up crushing it. He frowned and washed his hand under the faucet to get the egg off, then tried again. He ended up crushing three eggs into a pan. He twisted the knob that turned the oven on. 

A few minutes later, something started beeping loudly. Arthur rushed out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Tick!” He yelled. 

Tick turned around immediately. “What is that beeping?” He asked loudly so he could hear his voice over the sound.

“That's the smoke alarm!” Arthur rushed into the kitchen and reached up to turn off the smoke alarm. Since he was too small to reach it, Tick turned it off for him.

Arthur looked at what Tick was trying to make. He sighed loudly. “Tiiick,” he sounded incredibly annoyed. 

“Yeah?” Tick asked, looking at his best friend, who was dripping a puddle on the floor. 

“Don't cook-- what have I told you before about cooking?”

Tick thought for a moment, then smiled, his antennae standing up. “Oh! You said to leave it to the people who know what they're doing, like moms and Gordon Ramsay, and you.”

“Yes, that is what I said…” Arthur sighed quietly. “Please, if you want food, take some money and go to Goat's store.”

Tick frowned gently. “Oh, but Arthur, I wanted to make you breakfast.”

Arthur frowned. “Okay, Tick. You can go get me a sandwich from Goat's store.” He cleaned the mess Tick made. “This could have started a fire.”

“Okay, Arthur. I'm sorry.” Tick pat his friend’s bare shoulder. 

Arthur sighed again. “It's okay, Tick--” He was cut off when he felt Tick wrap him up in a hug. He blushed, because he was practically naked. 

Tick sighed contently. He laid his cheek on the side of Arthur's head, pulling him so the smaller man's body was against his chest. He held him tightly, taking in a big breath. 

Arthur stood awkwardly, his cheek pressed against Tick's chest. He moved so he could wrap his arms around his friend. 

He felt shy, and he didn't really want to hug Tick when he wasn't wearing anything but a bath towel. 

Tick let him go after a few minutes, setting his hands on Arthur's shoulder. 

The accountant blushed and looked down. “Don't try cooking again. I'm going to go back and finish…” He walked away, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

Tick watched him leave, smiling. He was so adorable. Tick didn't understand, but he really enjoyed holding Arthur so closely, especially when he didn't have much on. 

Tick blushed softly and turned to go out and buy breakfast for Arthur.


	4. A Moment

Tick walked down to Goat's store. He got Arthur a sandwich like he had asked, then walked back up to the apartment. 

As he walked, he started thinking about Arthur. 

He really felt like he loved Arthur. What? Love? Where did that word come from? But… it felt like it fit, anyways. He felt like his entire existence was there because Arthur. He felt like Arthur really improved him. 

He sighed and walked into the flat, then shut the door. Arthur was sitting on the couch, running a comb through his curly hair. His shirt wasn't entirely buttoned up.

Tick's heart clutched. He stared at Arthur, blanking out. He completely forgot everything that he was supposed to be doing as he stared at Arthur. 

When the sidekick noticed, he paused, looking sort of uncomfortable. Why was Tick staring at him like that?

Tick walked to him silently and handed him the sandwich he had ended up crushing. “Here, Arthur,” he whispered. 

Arthur looked at the poor, squished sandwich. “O-oh, thanks…” He stood up, picking up the corner of the bag and bringing the sandwich into the kitchen. He set it on the counter. “I'll eat it later.” He went back to the couch, sat down again, and continued combing his hair. 

Tick sat down on the coffee table, smiling gently. He liked being across from Arthur, who was looking down, being quiet. 

Tick reached over to him, setting a hand on his knee. Arthur looked up. 

“T-Tick, you've been so, uhm, quiet…” Arthur whispered. “Are you okay, Tick…?”

The super smiled sillily, letting his hand slide up a little. “Yeah, Arthur. I'm fine.”

Another second later, and Arthur's cheeks went red. Tick smiled happily. 

“Arthur, you look so cute.” He leant in a little closer, hand on Arthur's mid leg, now thigh. 

“Uhm-- t-t-thank you…” Arthur squeaked. He liked this, he just didn't know what to do.

Tick nodded and leant a little closer, pressing his lips against Arthur's. The sidekick felt his heart speed up, and he panicked for a moment. He didn't know what else to do, so he closed his eyes and kissed Tick back. 

“Arthur,” Tick pulled away slightly. 

“Yeah…?”

“I--” 

CRASH!

Arthur squeaked, jumping back. “T-Tiiiiiick!”

“It's not my fault!” Tick said, wiggling a little in the debris of the now broken coffee table. “The table was not structurally sound enough to hold my weight.”

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oh, Tick…” 

Tick pulled himself out of the broken table. Arthur stood up and started to clean the mess. 

Tick sat on the couch and watched, feeling sad that their moment had passed. He needed to have that again with Arthur. He needed it.


	5. Trying For Another Moment

The rest of the day, Arthur sort of ignored Tick. Nothing against him, but he was just busy thinking. 

Mid-day, Arthur had taken to laying on the couch, his glasses resting on the arm of the couch. He had his hands steepled, his eyes closed. He was trying to think. Think about Tick. 

What happened earlier really made Arthur question everything. He wasn't sure how he should feel. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to act. 

Before he could get too far in thought, he felt a shadow over him. He looked up, seeing Tick's face, but he wasn't just hung over Arthur and looking at him, he was getting onto the couch, above the smaller man. 

Arthur felt his stomach twist. “Uhm…” he could barely speak. His mouth felt dry. He glanced around the room. 

“Arthur,” Tick whispered. After a day of being practically ignored, he wanted some affection. He slid a hand up Arthur's arm, curling his fingers around his wrist softly. He tilted his head curiously. 

Arthur breathed heavily, staring up at Tick with his mouth slightly open. He felt sort of awkward, and he didn't know how to react. 

He snapped out of his trance. “Oh-- uhm… Y-yeah, Tick?” He whispered, twisting uncomfortably. 

Tick had a strange look in his eyes, like he didn't know what he was really doing. 

Tick's antennae twitched. He pulled his hand away from Arthur's wrist, slipping it down to his waist instead. Without a second thought, he pressed their lips together. Arthur gasped weakly, his eyes widening. He shivered, blushing and laying there uselessly. 

Tick pulled away a few seconds later. He cupped Arthur's cheeks. 

Arthur closed his eyes and whimpered. He leant into Tick's hand. 

Tick tilted his head and leant down a little more, planting little kisses onto Arthur's neck. The accountant tilted his head, shuddering. “Guh… Tick…”

“Arthur…” He moved closer, kissing Arthur's face. “Please, Arthur,” he whined. 

“Wh-what do you want…?” He asked. 

Tick kissed his lips a few more times. “I just… I just want to be with you…”

“H-how so…?” Arthur asked, looking up to Tick. 

“I don't know. I can just feel it. I'm going on instinct here, I'm sticking with how I'm feeling, what my heart is leading me to…” He set his hand on Arthur's chest, above his heart. He kissed his friend again. “I love you, Arthur.”


	6. What To Do?

Those words hit Arthur right in the heart. He didn't know what to do. He started panicking. 

After Tick realised Arthur was on the verge of a panic attack, he quickly snapped out of whatever he was stuck in. He sat up and wrapped Arthur in a hug, patting his back. “Arthur, Arthur, oh, I'm so sorry!” He said, squeezing him softly. 

Arthur started shaking, and he couldn't help the tears that began welling in his eyes. He started to cry softly. 

Tick whimpered and pulled Arthur closer. “Arthur! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know why I was doing that… I-I hope you can forgive me. I'm very sorry. Are you alright? Goodness, Arthur…”

“Tick, I don't know how I should react…” Arthur leant into him uncomfortably. 

“You can just forget it all happened…” Tick's antennae drooped. He looked sad.

“N-no,” Arthur shook his head and curled up, trembling within Tick's strong arms. “I don't want to forget it, no… that was wonderful…”

“Oh?” Tock looked up, his antennae twitching curiously. He blushed just a little, quite the difference to Arthur's cheeks, which were all red.

“I-I really liked that, Tick…” Arthur breathed in, trembling. “I really liked that… I just don't know how to respond…”

Tick smiled and tipped Arthur's chin up. “Then you don't need to respond, Arthur.” He leant in and kissed him gently. 

Arthur gasped again, setting his hands on Tick's legs. He didn't know what to do. 

He slowly started leaning in, kissing Tick back. Tick smiled, their eyes closed, their faces so close. He slipped his hands to Arthur's waist and tugged him a little closer. 

Arthur whined, “Gah… Tick, please,” he whimpered, curling up slightly. Tick frowned and stopped their kiss, setting his hand on Arthur's head and playing with the soft curls. 

That seemed to work. Arthur sighed and leant into him, calming down. 

He knew Arthur was sensitive. Maybe he was going too quickly. Maybe he was just bringing this a little too far.

Arthur curled up against his friend. “Tick…” he mumbled. 

“Yes, Chum?” The blue giant grinned goofily. 

“So this… does this… uhm… a-are we boyfriends?”

Tick’s head tilted. 

“Are we dating?”

An antennae twitched. “Dating?” Tick asked.

“Yeah… are we--”

“Isn't that like marriage?” He asked, recalling a conversation with Ouma from quite awhile ago. 

“Uhm, yeah, I mean-- I guess…”

“Oh, cool!” Tick hugged Arthur, kissing his cheek a few times. “Are we married?”

“W-well, uh… no… not exactly, Tick…”

Tick shrugged. “Aren't we husband and wife though?” His knowledge of marriage consisted of Ouma talking to him, and watching TV. He wasn't sure if there could be two husbands.

“H-husbands? No! Not... yet, at least… I doubt that would ever happen…” Arthur was sure he'd feel a little too uncomfortable to ever get married.

Although, it would've been sort of cute to give Tick a last name. He was just Tick. The Tick. He giggled a little thinking of The Tick Everest.

“Then what are we, Arthur?”

“Uhm…” Arthur started thinking. “I just… boyfriends?”

Tick shrugged. “Okay, Arthur.”

“A-are you okay with that?” Arthur asked, tilting his head gently. 

“Yeah, of course.” Tick smiled. “Boyfriends…” he mumbled, testing out the word. “I like that.”

Arthur grinned. “Me, too.” He moved closer. He pressed his lips against Tick's. It didn't take long at all for Tick to return the affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done... :<


	7. Watching A Movie

Two weeks passed by easily. Arthur was feeling a lot happier now that he and Tick had something more than friendship in between them. Tick, despite being utterly confused and lacking the knowledge of how to do relationship things, was actually pretty wonderful. A part of him knew exactly what to do. It was a very small part, but it understood to kiss Arthur back, and hold him, and comfort him.

Now, it was 12 in the afternoon. The two were just coming back to their apartment after a busy day of protecting people. Arthur has gotten tired and hungry, and-- although it took some complaining, kissing, and whining-- he was able to get Tick to go home for some time together.

Although they were boyfriends, Arthur still felt a lot like he did when they were friends. He was just happier now, felt something really strong, and they didn't hesitate on getting close. Well, Tick never hesitated on getting close, anyways.

Tick plopped down onto the couch, kicking his feet up on the newly installed coffee table. Arthur winced and listened to the couch squeak under Tick.

He was in the kitchen, getting them some drinks and a quick snack. He came back a moment later and held out a cup of hot chocolate for Tick. “H-here you go, Tick…” He mumbled. 

Ticks antennae flicked, and he took the cup. “Thank you, Arthur.” He said. Arthur sat down beside Tick. 

He leant his cheek against Tick's big arm. He felt small against his boyfriend, but feeling small comforted him a little. He didn't know what he would do if he was the big superhero. Being small kept him from more crippling anxiety that came with superhero responsibilities. Tick could handle those situations that filled Arthur head to toe in anxiety, without a single thought. 

Arthur snuggled into his boyfriend's chest. He stared at the tv, quietly drinking the hot chocolate he made himself. 

Tick wrapped an arm around him, startling him a little and making him drop a small splatter of the hot liquid onto Tick's leg. Tick hummed and kissed him. 

“A-are you alright?” Arthur got up, setting his mug down. He got a napkin and wiped the splatter from Tick's leg. 

“Oh, yeah. I didn't even feel it.”

Arthur nodded and walked away, throwing the napkin in the trash. Tick scrolled through Netflix for a movie, eventually setting on one. 

Arthur went back to the couch and laid down, his head on Tick's lap. 

Tick set his hand in Arthur's hair, twisting around the curls softly. Arthur sighed and settled against his boyfriend, looking at the tv. Tick watched quietly, sometimes saying something completely out of the ordinary.

Arthur loved when he did that. 

He shifted a little and looked up at Tick, positive more than ever that they were going to be the happiest couple that Arthur ever heard of. How could they not? It was pretty impossible for The Tick to become angry at Arthur, and it was impossible for Arthur to stay angry at such an innocent person. So they wouldn't fight, and they were completely in love.

He was going to really enjoy this relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, yeah, the story was pretty short. To be honest, I could've probably made it another 20 chapter fic like the other two. I just lost interest, but eh, that's okay. I might make more. I'll have to rewatch The Tick soon. :>


End file.
